Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Elephants’ cancer-protection secret may be in the genes
An extra dose of cancer-fighting genes may be the secret to elephants’ long life spans.
- Health & Medicine
Why kids look funny when they run
Kids’ short legs give them little time to push high off the ground, a constraint that leads to the jerky toddler trot.
- Humans
Into Africa: Ancient skeleton sheds light on reverse migration
Ancient man’s DNA helps reveal extent of Eurasian farmers’ back-to-Africa migration some 3,000 years ago.
- Health & Medicine
Weight and sun exposure linked to onset of multiple sclerosis
Among people with multiple sclerosis, those with higher body mass and lower adolescent sun exposure tended to be diagnosed with the disease at an earlier age, a new study suggests.
- Genetics
Chemistry Nobel honors studies of DNA repair mechanisms
Studies of DNA’s repair mechanisms have won Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich and Aziz Sancar the 2015 Nobel Prize in chemistry.
- Humans
Chimpanzees show surprising flexibility on two feet
Chimpanzees’ upper-body flexibility while walking upright suggests ancient hominids walked effectively.
- Health & Medicine
Nobel medicine prize won for drugs from natural sources
Nobel Prizes in medicine or physiology awarded for drugs that combat roundworms and malaria
- Health & Medicine
Therapies against roundworm, malaria parasites win medicine Nobel
The 2015 Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology was awarded to Youyou Tu for her work in counteracting malaria, and to William Campbell and Satoshi Omura for work on treatments against roundworm parasites.
- Health & Medicine
Fizzy bubbles carry drugs deep into wounds
Bubble-powered drugs burrow into wounds to stop blood loss.
- Health & Medicine
Sperm protein may offer target for male contraceptive
With the identification of a new sperm protein that helps sperm penetrate eggs, researchers may be closer to developing birth control pills for men.
- Health & Medicine
Sperm protein may offer target for male contraceptive
With the identification of a new sperm protein that helps sperm penetrate eggs, researchers may be closer to developing birth control pills for men.
- Anthropology
Bronze Age mummies identified in Britain
Bone analysis finds widespread mummy making in ancient England and Scotland.
